Projects
Miami Circle - Virtual Tour, Location 8H
The buried remains of a 5.5 ft long requiem shark were excavated in the southeastern quadrant of the Miami Circle feature. The feature consists of a mass of teeth, representing the animal’s head, oriented to the west, and articulated centra (vertebrae) extending to the east. Masses of dermal denticles (part of the shark’s skin) were present as well. Radiocarbon dates indicate the shark was buried around A.D. 1560-1680.
This feature is significant since it is related to a broader pattern of animal interments in southern Florida. Animal interments, while rare, have been reported from several sites in southern Florida, including an alligator and two sawfish (Pristis pectinatus) from the Palmer burial mound near Sarasota, and an alligator, snakes, raccoons, and turtles from the Margate-Blount site in northern Broward County.